Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The most efficient way to provide abundant residential properties in massive cities is to construct tall apartment buildings. I strongly agree with this statement. My perspective will be discussed in the following paragraphs with a concrete conclusion.

To commence with, developing tall apartments will help to deliver quality and cheap homes to people compared with normal residential accommodation because flats are built ready to move into instantly and have a vast number of amenities. For example, nowadays, apartments provide facilities like gyms, pools, golf courses and much more. It also makes sure that people living there do not feel isolated and hosts monthly events and gatherings; therefore, residents do not feel isolated.

Next, flats and apartments save massive space across the city because one big apartment can provide accommodation to hundreds of people, which saves space and therefore reduces deforestation. For example, apartments provide homes to thousands of people compared with colonies, which are much more expensive, take up much more space and provide fewer homes.Flats also privide privacy beacuse the person doesnot need to go anywhere because everthing is provided in the flats which saves up time for resdentials and it also take up less time to build as compared to normal traditional homes which is an also an advantage and also a reason in the sudden increase in the popularity of the flats and apartments

To conclude, in my opinion, flats and apartments should be built rather than traditional homes because the advantages of flats outweigh those of normal homes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the introduction (“I strongly agree”) and conclusion, and you give relevant reasons: apartment blocks can house many people on less land and may offer shared facilities. However, the response only partly develops the argument. The first paragraph focuses heavily on amenities and social events, rather than explaining why high-rise construction is the best way to provide enough homes. The second paragraph makes a relevant space-saving point, but claims such as reducing deforestation and providing homes to “thousands” are not explained or supported with a specific example. To strengthen the response, explain the housing shortage more directly and develop each reason with a clear cause-and-effect explanation or a concrete example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and signposts such as “To commence with,” “Next” and “To conclude” make the broad structure easy to recognise. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven. The first moves from affordability to amenities and then social isolation, while the second combines space, cost, privacy, time-saving and construction speed in one long passage. The repeated point that residents “do not feel isolated” also weakens cohesion. Use one main idea per paragraph, arrange supporting details in a logical order, and divide the second body paragraph into shorter sentences. Clearer links between each claim and its explanation would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “residential properties,” “accommodation,” “amenities,” “deforestation” and “traditional homes,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is uneven and several choices are imprecise or repetitive. “Massive cities” is less natural than “large cities,” and “normal residential accommodation” is vague. “Flats and apartments” recur frequently, while “provide abundant residential properties” sounds unnatural in this context. Spelling errors such as “privide,” “beacuse” and “resdentials” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for precise housing terms and natural collocations, and proofread carefully. For example, distinguish between high-rise blocks, low-rise housing and detached homes rather than repeatedly using “normal homes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt some complex structures, including a comparison with “because” and a result clause introduced by “therefore,” but control is inconsistent. The second body paragraph contains a very long sentence joined by repeated “and,” making the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. There are also errors in sentence construction and agreement, such as “it also take up less time” and “which is an also an advantage.” The phrase “homes to thousands of people compared with colonies” is grammatically awkward, and punctuation is missing before “Flats” after “homes.” Use shorter, complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles and clause boundaries. This would make your meaning clearer while allowing you to retain complex sentence forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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